Amaranthine Special Edition Vol II Read online

  Then she heard something outside. She prepared a scathing comment, but the door didn’t open. She narrowed her eyes at it and willed him to appear. It did no good. Finally, she stood and crossed to the window. She peered out through the blackness. There was no one there.

  A shiver passed down her spine and she moved back to the rug. It was silly to be so paranoid. Though, after the last couple of months she’d had, maybe it was reasonable. No. She needed to relax. There wasn’t a bloodthirsty vampire out there, waiting to kill them.

  As minutes ticked past, she worried. Maybe something had happened to Jorick? Maybe she should go look for him? Maybe -

  She heard his footsteps on the porch. In a flurry, she snatched up the nearest book and threw herself on the couch. She had no intention of letting him know she’d been concerned because he was pouting.

  She flipped to the center of the book as Jorick walked in, and glanced up casually, as though she’d been engrossed in the story. “Back already?”

  He came to stand next to the couch and gazed down at her with the same false carelessness. Melting snowflakes clung to his hair and black shirt. His eyes wandered to the book and a smirk formed at the corners of his mouth. “Haven’t you read that before?”

  She tried not to scowl. “Yes, but it never hurts to read it again.” The twinkle in his eyes said that he knew what she was up to, so she rushed on, “Where were you?”

  “Walking.” He studied her before he spoke again. “You really want to go see her?”

  “Yes, I do, and I want to get my stuff too.” There, now she’d really done it.

  Surprisingly, he didn’t argue, only sighed resignedly and massaged his forehead. “You know it’s a bad idea.”

  She faltered and stared at the book in her lap. “Maybe, but so was going to meet you. Look how well that turned out.”

  “Did it?” When she didn’t reply, he sighed again. “Fine, we’ll go. But,” he added before she could exclaim her triumph. “I did warn you. Remember that.”

  She couldn’t suppress her victorious grin as she tossed the book aside and leapt to her feet. She threw her arms around his neck and he returned the embrace. “I won’t forget, but it’s going to be all right. Trust me.”

  Though he laughed softly, there was no joy in it. “Why do those words not fill me with confidence?”

  Katelina thought it best to call her mother right away, before Jorick had time to back out. The only problem was that he didn’t have a phone. She sensed his reluctance when he admitted that Loren had one. It was only a short walk to his house and, though Loren had already left, they could get inside.

  She bundled up in a too-big black coat and pulled her stocking hat firmly over her head. With a resigned sigh, Jorick led her through the front door and out into the night. White snowflakes swirled and danced on the winter wind, but they failed to impress. In November, the first flakes had been something to stand and stare at. In early December they were a tiresome symbol of cold.

  Jorick and Katelina trudged across the overgrown yard towards the beach and then through a stand of dark trees. She let him beat a path through the tall grass to the place she thought of as the edge of the world. It was where grassland and beach met in a sudden line. After that, the walking was easier, though the sand gave beneath her feet.

  Silence hung between them, and she gazed out towards the water. Moonlight danced on the waves, and she longed to see the ocean in tones of blue, gray and green that only the sun could reveal.

  “You can walk down here without me,” Jorick interrupted, earning a dirty look for the mental intrusion. “Just because I can’t be outside in the daylight doesn’t mean you can’t, yet.”

  “Yet?” she asked cautiously. He acted as though he’d never said it, and she decided that was the best way to look at it. She had enough to worry about.

  She imagined the coming conversation with her mother and worked on her answers. She had it nearly memorized when a small house came into view. It was more modern than Jorick’s, with large sliding glass doors and wide rectangular widows. A sidewalk surrounded by faded planters led from a wooden deck to the driveway where a lumpy tarp hinted at a motorcycle.

  They walked past the deck and around the house to the front door. A collection of junk overflowed from what had once been a flowerbed, including empty pots, a shovel, and what might have been car parts. Apparently it wasn’t just Jorick’s house Loren refused to tidy.

  “If they’ve already left, how are we going to get in? Can you do some vampire trick and unlock doors?”

  Jorick winked at her and moved in front of a window that was full of air conditioner. He surveyed it, as if making mental calculations, and then reached underneath and removed something. “Yes I can, when I have an extra key.”

  She rolled her eyes in disgust. “Very funny. And here I thought there was some cool ‘thing’.”

  He walked back to the door and fit the key into the lock. “Sorry to disappoint you. Still, I think I’m rather impressive as is.”

  “You would.”

  He swung the door open and motioned her to go first. She walked inside and immediately tripped over something. A loud hissing shriek told her that it was a cat and, as the light flicked to life beneath Jorick’s fingers, she saw a streak of white fur disappear around the corner.

  “He has a cat? Who’s taking care of it?”

  “It takes care of itself.” Jorick motioned towards a kitchen door with a swinging doggy flap. “They’re independent animals.”

  “I guess.” She turned her attention to the décor. The walls were hung with pictures of flowers and a blue couch was buried under a heap of clothes. Tangled video game controllers strung across the floor to a television and several game consoles. Stacks of CDs and DVDs leaned precariously against a recliner. A half wall, dotted with wilted plants, separated the kitchen from the front room. Though Loren didn’t need to eat, or cook, the counters were cluttered with dishes and appliances.

  “This isn’t what I imagined Loren’s house would look like.”

  Jorick shrugged. “His mother probably decorated it, before she died.”

  “Um, yeah.” That would explain the pictures of the flowers and all the kitchen appliances. “What happened to his parents?”

  “They died in a car wreck. He and his brother kept the house. And then of course -”

  “His brother was killed by the rogue vampires who made him,” she finished as she picked up the nearest CD. Nirvana. Why was that not a surprise? “You and Loren have houses, cars, electricity, and tons of crap.” She nodded to the heap of CDs. “So where do you get all your money?”

  “Various places. Some vampires have investments and stocks and bonds. Some have treasure hoarded from the old days, and others use the power of suggestion or steal from their…” he paused as if seeking a friendlier word. “Dinner?”

  “Dinner” was no better than “victim”, but she couldn’t think of a better word either, so she ignored it. “Stocks and bonds? Don’t accountants notice their client never dies?”

  “Not if The Guild’s accountants handle it. Of course you can do as you please. I prefer to keep mine away from them. The more you go to them, the more they know about what you’re doing.”

  He hadn’t answered her real question, so she pressed, “Where did your money come from?”

  “As an Executioner there were certain expenses I needed to meet, and Malick was very generous with funds. Of course, I’ve added to that over the years.”

  “By stealing from your dinner?” She wished she hadn’t said it, but it was something that had been gnawing at her for some time.

  Instead of getting angry, Jorick laughed. “They don’t need it anymore,” he teased. When she looked horrified, he laid a hand on her shoulder. “Have you ever seen me kill anyone for a meal, Katelina?”

  “No,” she admitted slowly. “But you seem very casual about death.”

  “Of course. It’s easy to be casual when it isn’t something y
ou fear. Large-scale coven wars are rare. The death toll of the vampire is not normally very high among the ‘civilized’. Most vampires are killed in revenge for something, or simply get tired of living and kill themselves when immortality becomes a burden.”

  She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, unsure what to say or even if she wanted to say anything. The conversation just served to remind her of the strangeness of her new reality.

  As if to save her, Jorick changed the subject. “I thought you wanted to call your mother?”

  He moved away and located the base of a cordless phone. The handset was missing, so he pressed the “locate” button and they split up and walked through the house, listening for the corresponding beeps.

  The sound was loudest in a bedroom lined with posters of 90s bands; Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Marilyn Manson and Korn among others. In fact, the whole affair was something straight off a 1995 television set with heaps of dirty clothes, a pipe frame bed and a desk stacked in notebooks and broken CD cases. The garbage bags sloppily taped over the window ruined the illusion.

  Katelina sifted through the mess until she found the handset. She bounced it in her palm and thought about what she was about to do. Her knees suddenly felt watery, so she dropped onto the bed.

  Jorick appeared in the doorway, but stayed silent. She glanced up at him and wondered if he was right. Maybe it was a bad idea, after all. She quickly reprimanded herself. It was her idea and she was only calling her mother. How scary could her mother be?

  She knew the answer and it made her stomach flip. Jorick nodded encouragingly, and she took a steadying breath then quickly punched in the familiar phone number. She counted each ring as she tried to remember the rehearsed conversation.

  On the sixth ring, the answering machine picked up. The usual message was gone, replaced with tones of annoyance. “If you’re just calling to harass me then you can hang up now. If you actually want something, or if you have information on my daughter, leave a message.”

  The loud beep jarred Katelina and left her speechless. The planned conversation disappeared from her mind like smoke, so she quickly pulled words from thin air. “Um. Hey Mom, it’s me. Guess you’re in bed -”

  The machine squealed loudly, and then she heard her mother shout desperately, “Katelina? Is that you? Are you still there?”

  Her heart flipped at the sound of her mother’s voice. She looked up and met Jorick’s warm eyes, finding strength in them. “Yeah, Mom. I’m here.”

  The woman’s questions came high pitched and too fast to answer. “My god! Where are you? Where have you been? What’s going on? Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”

  “Mom, slow down. I’m fine!”

  “I’ve been worried sick about you! They say you were kidnapped!”

  Katelina had expected this. “No, I wasn’t kidnapped. I left on my own.”

  “Then why was your apartment destroyed? And they found your car vandalized on a dead end road! Why did you leave? Is this something to do with Patrick? Are you in some kind of trouble? Who was the man at the hospital with you?”

  Katelina groaned. Of course the police would have reported the hospital visit. Damn. She needed to calm her mother down before her head exploded, so she forced herself to sound cheerful. “His name is Jorick. He’s the one I ran away with.” She realized the stupidity of that statement too late.

  Her mother’s tone was shrill and angry. “You ran away with a man? Why? Is he married? Is Sarah with you?”

  At the mention of her friend, Katelina caught her breath. Jorick saw the look on her face and quickly crossed the room and sat next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She leaned against him and tried to hold back the stabbing pain that Sarah’s name brought to her chest. She was never going to tell her mother about Sarah. How could she?

  “Katelina? Are you there? Is everything all right?”

  “Yeah,” Katelina answered, her voice strained. She swallowed her unshed tears and tried to sound neutral and surprised. “No, Sarah’s not here. I haven’t seen her since I left. Why?”

  “She’s missing,” her mother said bluntly, more than a note of suspicion in her voice. “She disappeared when you did. Aren’t you together?”

  “No.” Jorick squeezed her tightly and she forced herself to go on, hoping to distract her. “It’s just me and Jorick.”

  Her mother took the bait. “Who is Jorick? Why did you run away with him? Where did you meet him?”

  “Mom,” Katelina interrupted quickly. “Look, this is long distance. I just called to tell you we were coming home for a day or two and -”

  “When? Are you all right?”

  “’I’m fine,” she repeated. “We’re coming in a couple of days. Don’t worry, we’ll stop by. I want you to meet him.”

  “A couple of days is specific! And you damn well better ‘stop by’! My god, I’ve been worried sick about you! Do you know that? The police thought that Patrick’s murderer kidnapped you! There have been bulletins and news reports - That man you’re with, he’s wanted, you know? For questioning.”

  She flinched. Jorick might be right about the police. Perhaps she’d been too simplistic about it. “Look Mom, do me a favor, okay? Just keep this to yourself for right now. I don’t want a swat team swooping in and trying to arrest Jorick. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

  “If he hasn’t done anything wrong then why are you hiding? Why haven’t you been home or called? Katelina, please, tell me what’s going on!”

  “I needed a break from everything. Look, just don’t say anything to anyone, all right? We’ll get this cleared up later.”

  “You’re damned right you will!” Anger replaced her mother’s concern. “And when I get my hands on you -”

  “Right.” Katelina’s smile was genuine this time. She well remembered her mother’s empty threats. “I’ll see you in a few days. I love you.”

  “Katelina! Wait!”

  “In a couple of days,” she repeated and pressed the button to end the call. The phone landed in her lap and she sighed heavily and glanced at Jorick. “Well, that’s done.”

  A thousand I-told-you-so’s glittered in his eyes, but he only pulled her close and asked, “How is she?”

  “All right I guess.” A strange smile flickered over her lips. “I didn’t get a chance to ask. She was too busy yelling at me.”

  He wrapped both arms around her and pressed his face into her stocking hat. “I can’t wait to meet her,” he murmured, sounding anything but enthusiastic.

  **********

  Chapter Two

  Katelina’s wardrobe looked like someone who was out of touch with fashion had grabbed it in a hurry, which was exactly the case, so the following evening she and Jorick stopped at the local department store. She picked out some new clothes and pointed Jorick towards a white button up shirt that would make him look less like a cult leader or criminal. Both inferences aggravated him, though she noticed he bought it.

  With their suitcase packed, they headed towards Katelina’s hometown. They drove for most of the night and, near dawn, checked into a shabby green motel. Katelina slumped inside. A strange sense of déjà vu swept over her as she glanced around at the handful of worn furnishings. “This is lovely,” she commented sarcastically. “Why can’t we ever stay in a nice motel? Why is it always a flea pit?”

  Jorick closed the door and set the locks. “Where would you prefer? The Ritz?”

  “No, but there was a nicer one a few miles back.”

  He moved to the window and checked to see if he could block the coming daylight. “After our last motel spree, I’m a little cautious. Imagine if vampires had crashed through the lobby in one of your better establishments. Besides, places like this have very few staff.”

  “And very few visitors. They pay more attention to who checks in.”

  The corners of his mouth turned up in a grin. “Perhaps. Normally. I’m certain they won’t even remember us.” He changed t
he subject. “This one is very tight with the furniture. It may be a bathtub nap.” He turned and stalked to the bathroom door.

  In a flash, she understood the implication of his first statement. “You’re using mind tricks on the motel people, aren’t you? You know I hate that!”

  “So much for a bathtub! There’s only a shower! Of all the ridiculous, cheap…”

  He continued to grumble while she swooped towards him. A well-placed jab in the back got his attention. “Answer me!”

  “Oh, fine.” He turned to face her, one eyebrow arched. “Yes, perhaps I am. Why does it matter? Don’t the ends justify the means? It’s to your benefit too, unless you want the police called? We’re wanted fugitives, remember?” An aggravated flush stole across her cheeks. He’d won, and the smirk on his face said he knew it.

  As if from habit, Katelina rubbed the spot where her second mark was; the mark that had linked them. Only a week ago she’d have been able to feel his amusement prickling at her. Drinking the blood from Kateesha’s heart had undone the Linking. She couldn’t feel his emotions anymore. Bizarrely, she’d had the Linking forced on her to save her life, but now that it was gone, she kind of missed it.

  “Really?”

  “Hey! You’re not supposed to be doing that now that you can control it!” She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “I never said I wouldn’t, only that I’m not forced to listen to the constant flow of your mental chatter anymore.” He turned suddenly serious. “We could remedy that. I could… do it again. You don’t have to be on the verge of death for it to work.”

  “I just happened to be last time?” She didn’t really want to think about the circumstances that led to it.

  He didn’t answer and she turned the idea over in her mind. What if he did re-link them? “I do kind of miss it sometimes, but I really didn’t like you reading my mind all the time. And you said it got on your nerves.”